Sulphur separator



Dec. 4, 1934. R. scHNr-'ELDER SULPVHUR` S'EPARATOR y Fii'd Jan. 1o, 1929 mm 4mm I ATTORNEY.

sans@ Dec. 4,1934 1,983,313

Y SULPHUR'SEPARATOR Robert Schnfelder, Dortmund-Evlng, Germany Application January 10, 1929, Serial No. 331,571

In Germany January 19, 1928 Claims. (Cl. 5810-51) My invention relates to apparatus for purifygas used for regeneration of the liquid togassist' ing gases such as fuel gas, air or other gases, in the removal of the separated sulphur foam. from sulphur impurities, such as hydrogen sul- In order that my invention may be clearly phide, and from analogous acidic impurities, suc set'fiorth and understood, Iy now describe with 5 as hydrogen cyanide. reference to the accompanying drawing a pre-- That portion of the apparatus hereinbelow set ferred embodiment thereof. In the drawing, forth and illustrated in Figs. l and 2 of the ac- Fig. 1 is a more lor less diagrammatic vertical companying drawing forms the subject matter of sectional viewv 0f gas Duilatiun 'apparatus emmy application for German Letters Patent Serial bodylng the present invention; and

1g No. G-722g4, VI/26d. tiled in Germany on Jan- Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of 65 uary 17, 1928. t a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, such There are a number of known processes of the portion comprising means for separating sulphur cyclic type in which an absorbent liquid is confoam from the absorbent liquid. tinuously recirculated over the flowing gas to Similar numerals designate Similar Paris in bepuried and'through an actiiication or regen- Y each ci the several views of the drawing.

eration stage in which the reactivity of thelsolu- Referring to the drawing, and more particularly tion is renewed by aeration or other suitable to Figures 1 and 2, the apparatus for gas puricameans. y Y tion comprises an absorber iwf the usual type and Suspensions o( iron oxide may be used for deprovided with suitable gas and liquid contact desulphurizing gas, the iron oxide reacting with vices, and having a gasinlet 2 and a gas outlet 3. 75 hydrogen sulphide in the'gas with the formation The apparatus also includes an actiiierl or oxidiz- I of iron sulphide. By treatment with oxygen or ing tower 4 and a separating device 5, the latter oxygen containing gases, the solution used for being mounted upon and forming an extension of sulphur removal may then be regenerated, the the absorber 1.

iron sulphide being reconverted to iron The hydrogen sulphide inthe gas entering at 2 80 oxide with liberation of sulphur in elementary is removed in scrubber 1 by an aqueous suspenform. By maintaining deilnite conditions it is sion o f iron oxide flowing in cou'nterourrent to the possible to separate the sulphur in the form gas. The solution is pumped by a circulating of a foam floating on the solution, which pump 6 into the oxidizing tower 4 at the bottom may then be passed in a separator through an of which compressed air is introduced through a B5 overow into a special receiver, and in this manpipe, 9- The mixture 0f il' and liquid DSSeS up ner may be separated from the solution. The reinto the separating device 5. There the sulphur generated solution is then recirculated in the separates in the form of a foam on the surface cycle for the purification o1' lfurther quantities of the liquid and passes through an overflow pipe Y of gas. x 10 into a receiver 12.

1n order t0 carry out this cyclic process it, is In Order t0 provide the desired Constant liquid desirable that the vary-mg gas pressure in the level in the separatingompartment 14 for a conabsorber shan not exert any efft upon the nqtinuousseparation of sulphur, the device 5 is pro- `uid level in the separator `as separation of the vided Wlth Separating Walls 15 and 16- Th? Sepa' r o sulphur foam by means of an overflow requires rating wall 16 retains the sulphur foam while the 95 an approximately constant liquid leveL ,liquid passes over the overow 15 into the sepa- An object of' the pres'ent invention is an M rate (reservoir) compartment 18, the liquid level an ement which o1 e this b1 of which, in accordance with the variations in gas g s v s pro em m an es' pressure, lies so low that even under maximum pecauy suitable manner pressure it does not reach the level in the sulphur 100 i5 A SeCOnd Object 0f the present invention is t() sparating Compartment proper. From point provide apparatus for purifying gas from Sulthe liquid passes into the scrubber 1, goingv Phuf compounds and for Separating the Sulphur through an intervening space between the -bottom liberated in the Process tml? Shall be Compact and the overflow and then through the overow and convenient and so disposed as to avoid expipe 20 into the absorber 1 105 CESSVe Pumping 0f the absorbent liquid- It is apparent that with variation of gas pres- A further Object of the present invention is t0 sure in the scrubber there will be no eiect on the 'provide apparatus 0f the Character hereinabove liquid level in the separating chamber 14 as the indicated and including Sulphur Separating absorber 1 lsnot directly connected with the sepameans so disposed as to cause the air or other rating chamber 14 except through a liquid seal 110 and the separating compartment 18. By the present invention the execution of a cyclic process is made possible so that sulphur may be separated continuously despite variations oi gas pressure in the scrubber.

The overflow pipe 20 is so constructed as to suitably` distribute any liquid overiiowing in the scrubber l, and communication is provided between the interior of the absorber 1 and that portion of compartment 16 lying between thevtop of the overflow pipe 20 and the baliie or separating wall 15 by a pressure equalizing conduit 22.

It will be noted that the bale or separating wallv 16 extends some distance below the upper edge oi' the separating wall 15.

The solution or the mixture of liquid, air, and sulphur foam, as the case may be, is recirculated between the absorber l and the oxidizing tower 4 through pipes and 26, as shown in Fig. 1, under action of the pump 6.

The sulphur foam collecting in the receiver 12 may be removed if desired through a drain having a valve 31 and may be introduced directly into a centrifuge 33 for drying.

, In the apparatus shown in Figure 2 a gm vent 35 is provided in the top of the separating device 5 for the escape of the oxidizing medium such as air or other oxygen-containing gas originally introduced through the pipe 9.

In the modification shown in Figure 2 the air.

` through the pipe 9 after passing through the oxidizing tower 4 and the pipe 26 into the separating compartment 14 and there separated from the liquid is not permitted to escape into the atmosphere immediately as in the previous instance. The separating compartment 14 is in this instance provided with a sealed gas outlet pipe 50, so constructed as to prevent the escape of gas therethrough under normal conditions, the seal being arranged to blow only under extraordinary pressures.

Thus the air separated from the absorbent liquid in the separating compartment 14 iinds its sole means of egress from the separating compartment 5 in the conduit l0, which also serves to convey sulphur foam from the separating compartment 14 to the receiver 12, and the air in passing through this conduit serves as an effective means for removing the sulphur foam from the separating compartment 14 tothe receiver 12. The air then escapes from the foam through a vent 51 in the top of the receiver 12.

i. While my invention has hereinabove been described with respect to the use of a particular absorbent liquid, namely, a suspension of iron oxide infwater or vany alkaline solution, it will l be obvious that my invention is not limited to such use, for it may be employed with equally good results .when other gas purification liquids are employed, and whether these consist of solutions` 0r suspensions. However, my invention is'particularly intended for use in processes of the socalled sulphur recovery type, i. e. in which the sulphur removed from the gas is eventually converted to sulphur in elemental form rather than to a gas or soluble compound thereof.

:messia v gas, air, or other gases, from sulphur impurities, such as hydrogen sulphide, said separator comprising, in combination, a vessel, walls dividing its interior into three compartments, of which two are located above one another and the third is located laterally from said two, the upper portion oi said third compartment communicating with the upper compartment of the rst-mentioned two, and the lower portion of the third compartment communicating with the lower compartment of the inst-mentioned two, two pipes extending from the lower of said ilrst mentioned compartments through the bottom oi said vessel, the upper 'end of one of them lying at a higher level than the upper end of the other, there being two lateral apertures communicating with the upper compartment and lying at dierent levels, substantially as disclosed and for the purpose set forth.

2. A sulphur separator for use in connection with apparatus for purifying gases, such as fuel gas, air, or other gases, from sulphur impurities, such as hydrogen sulphide, said separator comprising, in combination, a vessel, an intermediate horizontal partition extending from a side of said Vessel and terminating at a certain distance from the opposite side ofthe vessel, a vertical wall lo- 1 cated at the free edge of said intermediate partition and the upper edge of which terminates at a distance from the top of the vessel and the lower edge of which terminates at a distance from. the bottom thereof, a second vertical wall extending from the top oi' the vessel and terminating at a distance from said partition and at a level below that ci the upper edge of the other wall, the upper rim oi said second wall and the lower rim oi the irst wall being spaced to form a sealed passage: two pipes extending from the space below the intermediate partition through the bottom of the vessel, the upper end of one of these pipes lying in a lower plane than the upper end of the other pipe, and in a higher plane than the lower edge of the first-mentioned wall, there being two lateral apertures of which one communicates `with the lowermost portion of the compartment located above the intermediate partition, and the other of which communicates with the portion thereabove, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

3. A sulphur separator comprising an upper sulphur separating compartment and a lower liquid sealing compartment; conduit feed-means for feeding liquid from the upper compartment to the lower compartment; a liquid discharge conduit and a vent conduit extending from said lower compartment, the upper end of vent conduit lying at higher level than the upper end of the liquid discharge conduit whereby to raise and lower the liquid sealing column in said conduit feed-means in accordance with the pressure in said vent conduit; inlet means for inlet oi' liquid to said upper sulphur separating compartment; and outlet means Sor outlet of sulphur from a higher level in said upper compartment.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 and which also comprises a ventconduit for venting said upper compartment.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 and which also comprises a vent conduit including a liquid seal therefor for venting said upper compartment.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 and which also comprises a sulphur baiile located between the inletand outlet means for the upper compartment and the conduit 'feed-.means therefor,

and extending below the level of the top of the conduit feed-means.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 and which also includes means for equalizing the pressure above the liquid in the upper compartment with the pressure above liquid in the conduit feedmeans therefor.

8. In apparatus for separating sulphur: a chamber; a vessel situated above said chamber and having a sulphur-separating compartment and a constant over-flow level compartment, the former located above the latter; a sulphur outlet for said sulphur-separating compartment; outlet means for discharge of liquid from said constant over-flow level compartment to said chamber; and an overflow conduit leading from the sulphurseparating compartment to a point below the level of the liquid in the constant over-flow level compartment and below the upper level of the outlet means therefor.

9. In apparatus for separating sulphur: a chamber; a vessel situated above said chamber and having a sulphur-separating compartment and a constant over-flow level compartment, the former located above the latter; outlet means for discharge of liquid from said constant-level compartment to said chamber, said sulphurseparating vcompartment having a liquid inlet; a froth outlet located above said inlet; a liquid overflow conduit leading from a level between said inlet and outlet to a point below the level of the liquid in said constant-level compartment; and a froth baille located between said liquid overflow conduit and said inlet and outlet and extending below the level of the top of said overflow conduit.

10. In apparatus for separating sulphur: a chamber; a vessel situated above said chamber and having a sulphur-separating compartment anda constant over-flow level compartment, the former located above the latter; said sulphurseparating compartment having a liquid inlet, a froth outlet located above said inlet, a liquid overflow conduit leading from a level between said inlet and outlet to a point within said constantlevel compartment; a liquid supply conduit leading from a point within said constant-level compartment above the level of the bottom of said liquid overflow conduit to said chamber; and a vent conduit leading from said chamber to a 'point within said constant-level compartment above the upper end of said liquid supply conduit.

ROBERT SCHNFELDER. 

